Lionsgate Re-Ups Chris Selak, Names Her EVP Worldwide Television

Chris Selak, who has overseen Lionsgate’s scripted television development since 2011, has signed a new multi-year contract with the company. Selak, most recently EVP television, also is getting her duties expanded in a new role as EVP Worldwide Television.

In addition to continuing to spearhead Lionsgate’s growing internal scripted television business, Selak will oversee the company’s international scripted efforts. She will focus on co-productions with European territories, which is a priority for the company, along with ramping up business in Canada and finding scripted opportunity in China. The European co-production efforts will start in the U.K., with Selak getting creative oversight of the newly-launched Lionsgate UK television business led by Lionsgate UK CEO Zygi Kamasa and UK Television Creative Director Steve November. She also will supervise –in collaboration with Kamasa’s London-based team — Lionsgate’s investments in international production companies Kindle Entertainment and Andrea Calderwood & Gail Egan’s Potboiler Productions. Additiononally, Selak’s team will be responsible for supplying new scripted projects to Starz, recently acquired by Lionsgate, with three properties already in the development pipeline.

The number of Lionsgate scripted series has tripled in the past 3 years, and the company’s television revenues have grown at a compound annual growth rate of more than 20% during Chris’s 6-year tenure as she had expanded Lionsgate’s portfolio of dramas, comedies and limited series to new networks and platforms.

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“[Lionsgate Television Group President] Sandra Stern and I couldn’t ask for a better executive partner” said Lionsgate Television Group Chairman Kevin Beggs. “Chris’s superb talent relationships, savvy creative instincts and outstanding leadership skills will be an important driver of the continued rapid growth and diversification of our global television operations.”

Scripted series that Selak has shepherded through development and production since joining in 2011 include Orange is the New Black for Netflix; Nashville, which recently transitioned from ABC to CMT; dramedy Casual on Hulu; OWN breakout Greenleaf;The Royals on E!; the new series Graves on Epix, just renewed for a second season; and the upcoming Dear White People, also for Netflix, and the Jamie Foxx-produced half-hour comedy White Famous, starring Jay Pharoah with Foxx in a recurring role, for Showtime. Her team is also spearheading the Dirty Dancing TV movie reboot for ABC. Selak’s development slate includes HBO’s American Lion, starring Sean Penn, and a premium television series adapted from the The Kingkiller Chronicle fantasy book trilogy, which Lionsgate is launching as a television, feature film and video game franchise.

Before joining Lionsgate, Selak served as SVP at John Wells Productions where she oversaw programming for ER and The West Wing and helped develop Shameless for Showtime and Southland. Prior to JWP, Selak was VP at Mandalay Television, a Peter Guber Company, serving as a producer on the Showtime series Rude Awakening. She also oversaw the development and programming of the ABC series Cupid starring Jeremy Piven, and The WB’s Young Americans, starring Kate Bosworth.